Greetings!My name is Kyle Pereira and I'm a bloke who rides Enfields where they're still being made - yes, in India! It's great to be a part of this forum and I thank you for having me here.

I apologise for raining on anybody's parade, but this bike is most certainly NOT an Indian military bike in its original paint. The reasons why I can say this with conviction start from the paint job itself. No Indian army bike, or any army bike from any other country for that matter, would have such bright transfers of the manufacturer on the tank along with the red flashes along the flanks. That would make it so much easier for the enemy to train his scope on, don't you think? The army bikes ridden here by the 'jawans' (that's what soldiers are called here in India in the local tongue) are mostly olive green numbers with a very discreet Royal Enfield badge/decal on the tank. Desert tan and camo schemes do exist on some of the Indian army Bullets, but they are seldom seen. None have such flamboyant markings, however.

Secondly, the Indian army bikes absolutely do not have such indicators (blinkers). They are mostly chunky rectangular units and the ones at the rear are placed on either side of the registration number plate, facing upward rather than poking outwards.

Thirdly, all Indian army Bullets that I have seen (and I have seen many) have always been shod with the long seat that also accommodates a pillion.

Also, the handle bars are wrong for an Indian army Bullet, because the ones fitted here are off the Machismo while the ones fitted on the real McCoy are the flat bars. The panniers are wrong too - canvas or even leather saddle bags for that matter, won't last too long in our hot humid climate and that is why the Army prefers metal boxes held by a rather stout frame on either side of the bike at the rear. This, however, could have very well been changed by the former owner, along with the addition of the tool roll at the front.

Also, the following seems to be incorrect. And I quote: 'Its funny when I purchsed the Bike I was also a bit skeptical, so I called Royal Enfield in India and they admitted that before 1985 the records are very sketchy cuz they didnt move completely to India until 1986, however; based on the serial number it appears to them that it was Indian made, he also stated that to his knowledget all models for military use were made in India that year and based on the set up was not a civillian model.'

Enfield India, as it was called then, was building bikes completely in the country since the sixties. I do not know how the bloke on the other end of the line told you that they moved in completely only as late as 1986. Yes, the records are not very well organised, but my bike, a Standard 350 Bullet dating back to 1980, is on the books for all to see. Also, what setup was he referring to? The civilian and army bikes are identical, save for their paint schemes and small odds and ends like indicators/blinkers and the like.

I hope this answers any queries that you might have had. I absolutely do not mean to offend anyone, but I'm just clearing up the air...

Here is my military 350 (genuine), please note the top of the toolbox where there is provision for a padlock, also the shape of the rear mudguard carrier at the bottom where it kinks past the rear shock. If it aint got these features then it aint Indian military.'

Again, not true. Some of the earlier bikes had these, the later ones don't.

The following were built by Enfield at the Madras plant: Mini Bullet, Explorer, Silver Plus, Fury, Mofa, Taurus diesel, and Prince.

Let's not forget the predecessors of the Mini Bullet called the Sherpa and the Crusader. Both of them used Villiers 175 cc two stroke single port motors along with a lot of Bullet cycle parts like forks, shocks etc. Many parts were unique to these models too, like the headlight nacelle of the Crusader (looks like the head of a beagle, if you ask me), frame etc. Royal Enfield also built an odd scooter called the Fantabulous that was basically powered by the same Villiers motor. Another unusual feature of this scooter was that it had two gear shift pedals - one for the first two gears and the other for the rest! Electric start was also offered, but everyone I know who has owned one has told me the same thing - it almost never worked!

Enfield then went ahead and redesigned the Villiers engine, adding some displacement to bring it up to 200cc and making it rather boxy. This was the motor that powered the Mini Bullet. These, along with the Crusaders, were raced a lot during those years but stopping them was a tad hairy! And to keep things interesting, just like then, my Crusader goes but hates to stop..

And in a great coincidence, a friend on another bike board just told me, "You won't believe what I just saw on Craigslist...you'll love this. Some guy trying to pawn an old Enfield off for $18k, with some wacky story about its past!"

I get a kick out of this thread. Some guy who doesn't know squat about the bike pays way too much for it and now he thinks he has a super rare relic from the stone age. LOL I laughed at every post where he's like "But, but... It came from Inida! And... And... And it was a REAL military bike! And... And..."

So funny that he didn't know anything about the bike but insisted it was "unique" and "rare".

His arrogant air gave me the feeling he was a fraud, sneering down his nose at the unwashed commoners thinking it would bolster his claim to authenticity. He made up the whole story knowing there is a sucker born every minute. After all, people are paying $30k for fake '60's muscle cars - grandma's old Tempest with new trim = GTO! Stick Super Sport on anything Chevy....